Messi delivers Argentina past England and into World Cup final
Argentina beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday. Lionel Messi set up both late goals to overturn a deficit and reach the final.
Anthony Gordon gave England a deserved lead through an incisive counterattack finished by the scorer, with Morgan Rogers starting the move. England looked like the better side for the first hour before manager Thomas Tuchel shifted to a defensive shell.
Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th minute with a long-range shot after repeated attempts. Lautaro Martínez struck the winner seven minutes later after meandering to the back post, where Messi found him with a pass.
Atlanta becomes Argentine ground of belief
Eight days earlier, Argentina climbed back from two goals down to beat Egypt in the same city. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd never stopped singing, chanting, and bouncing throughout the England match.
The stands shook from the force of their celebration as the 39-year-old Messi engineered two comebacks. Coach Lionel Scaloni sent on attacking substitutes at the expense of defensive solidity just before the rally began.
Argentina led for just 12 minutes across their two Atlanta wins. All of those minutes came in second-half injury time out of 224 played.
Scaloni trusted his side to break a defense that had stymied Erling Haaland’s Norway and Mexico. The Argentine support, from Section 337 to the dugout, treated the late rallies as answered prayers.
Tuchel faces scrutiny after England collapse
Tuchel, the German perfectionist and former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager, drew ire at home after criticizing England’s quarterfinal win over Norway. He adopted a prevent defense after the opener that mirrored the shell beating Mexico in the Azteca.
England had a full squad in Atlanta compared to being a man down in that earlier match. England now meets France in the third-place playoff in Miami on Saturday.
Argentina travels to New Jersey for the final a day later. Tuchel’s tactics allowed Messi to orchestrate repeated forays, a recipe for disaster once Argentina pressed forward.
Messi’s last stand against Spain
The final is likely Messi’s last match in an Argentina shirt. Back-to-back titles, a Golden Boot, and a claim as the greatest ever are at stake against Spain.
Spain squeezed the life out of France in their semifinal and are the tournament’s best-drilled team. They use precise passing and cutting edges from Lamine Yamal or Mikel Oyarzabal to shut down opponents such as Kylian Mbappé.
What Spain lack is Messi as both player and concept. Argentina’s squad has repeatedly said all they do is for Messi, and their never-say-die attitude is built around elevating him.
The French looked flat against Spain, but the Argentines’ devotion makes a similar crisis hard to imagine in New Jersey. Faith can be a powerful thing.